Basics

Describe yourself briefly.

I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a certificate in Environmental Studies. I've worked in both the lab and field, having spent significant time studying and working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the Republic of Panama and at Princeton University’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative. Before founding re:char, I was a founding member of Innozone, an online expertise network. I am a 2009 Social Innovation fellow by Pop!Tech, a 2010 Echoing Green fellow, A Hitachi Foundation Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneur, One of Business week's Top 25 Social Entrepreneurs in America and a 2010 Unreasonable Fellow. I believe climate change and rural poverty are the two greatest global challenges and I'm excited to take part in solving them.

Describe your Unreasonable Venture in 100 words or less.

re:char enables small farmers in East Africa to turn their waste into wealth. We build and deploy kilns that convert agricultural waste into carbon-negative biochar. Biochar is a premium charcoal product that can be burned as fuel or incorporated into agricultural soils. Within soils, biochar acts as a nutrient sponge, improving crop yield up to 200% while sequestering atmospheric CO2. We are funded by Echoing Green, The Doen Foundation, The Dutch Postcode Lottery and the Hitachi Foundation.

Back to top ↑